UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 is scheduled for March 3rd, 2024 and we’ve put together a preview of every match in the lineup for this fantastic event. The elite grapplers from B-Team Jiu-Jitsu have a huge presence at the event with several team members booked throughout the card. The most notable examples of this of course are founding members Craig Jones and Nicky Rodriguez competing in the main and co-main event respectively. There’s a ton of star power even further down the card as several top competitors will clash with one another, including a fantastic matchup between Nicholas Meregali and Matheus Diniz.
UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 Full Lineup And Preview
Craig Jones vs Rafael Lovato Jr – Openweight
Craig Jones is one of the most popular figures in the sport and his sense of humor makes it easy to forget that he’s actually one of the best grapplers on the planet. Rafael Lovato Jr is a legendary competitor though, and it’s part of the reason that Jones wanted to face him in the first place. Not only has Lovato Jr achieved some amazing things throughout the course of his career, he’s proven that he can still hang with the best around as recently as ADCC 2022. Lovato Jr is definitely going to be a challenging opponent, but Jones is still the favorite to win this match regardless.
Nicky Rodriguez vs Roberto Jimenez – Openweight
Roberto Jimenez has clearly been gaining a fair bit of size lately and he’s been able to put it to very good use as well, as he managed to win a gold medal in the absolute division of the IBJJF No Gi World Championship. That was a fantastic achievement and heavier grapplers should find it terrifying to see that Jimenez has maintained a lot of his speed and cardio despite getting bigger. Nicky Rodriguez is not just any competitor though, he’s a two-time ADCC silver medalist who also happens to be incredibly explosive too, and they are currently 1-1 against each other. If Rodriguez can get his takedown and passing game to work then he’ll probably win the decision and if Jimenez can keep up a pace that Rodriguez can’t maintain, he should be able to catch him in a submission.
Nicholas Meregali vs Matheus Diniz – Openweight
This is one of the more unusual matches in the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 lineup and predicting a winner for this preview is pretty easy. Both Nicholas Meregali and Matheus Diniz are incredibly competitors at the very top of the sport, but in different weight classes. While Diniz is a former ADCC world champion at under 88kg, Meregali won his medals in both the under 99kg and the absolute division at ADCC 2022. Meregali would be the slight favorite on a technical level but the size difference will only increase that, and he will most likely get the win here.
Mason Fowler vs Pedro Marinho – 215lbs
Another match between veterans of ADCC 2022, this one should have big implications for the weight class in the near-future. Mason Fowler is one of the best American competitors of his current generation and he’s won ADCC Trials on several occasions in the past, along with the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 3 absolute tournament as well. He’s capable of beating anyone at any weight on the right day and he shouldn’t be counted out in any match he takes, although Pedro Marinho is one of the best around. It’s unlikely either man is able to get the submission finish given how good the other is, but we’re picking Fowler to win by decision.
Victor Hugo vs Roosevelt Sousa – Openweight
This rematch between Victor Hugo and Roosevelt Sousa is over a year in the making, and both men will eager to improve on their performance the first time around. They first met at the IBJJF No Gi World Championship back in 2022 and although neither of them won gold, they put on a fantastic show against one another in the semi-final. Hugo won that match by decision so while Sousa will be looking for revenge, he’ll be attempting to get a more decisive victory. Hugo has been in great form this past year so even if he can’t submit Sousa, he should still be able to get another decision win against him.
Ronaldo Junior vs Kody Steele – 175lbs
Kody Steele is perhaps one of the most entertaining competitors on the planet and every single match he’s in is non-stop action from start to finish. Ronaldo Junior on the other hand won the IBJJF No Gi World Championship at medium-heavyweight last year, winning every match by either decision or on advantages. Although Junior is a master tactician, it’s extremely difficult to make that approach work against an explosive and unpredictable opponent. Steele’s constant offense should be enough to earn him the decision win, even if he isn’t able to submit Junior first.
Jacob Rodriguez vs Mateo Cardona – 185lbs
Jacob Rodriguez is another incredibly entertaining competitor and he’s been given a very interesting matchup against one of the top purple belt prospects at Art of Jiu-Jitsu. he’s facing Mateo Cardona, who is steadily working his way up the ranks and putting on electric performances at the colored belt levels. It’s tough predict a winner in this preview of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 due to how untested Cardona is at this level, and this might just end up being one of the most exciting matches in the lineup. Competing against an ADCC Trials winner so early in his career might be a little too much for him though, and Rodriguez should be able to emerge victorious.
Giovanna ‘Gigi’ Canuto vs Denise Gomes – 125lbs
Giovanna ‘Gigi’ Canuto is a young 10th Planet competitor who has been working her way through the regional MMA circuit over the last few years. She holds a 4-1 professional MMA record and is coming off the first loss of her career at the end of 2023, so she’ll no doubt be eager to bounce back quickly. Denise Gomes is a little older and a little further along in her MMA career, with an 11-3 professional record and a 2-2 UFC record already. Gomes has shown herself to be more of a striker in her career while Canuto has notched up several submission wins already and as a result, she should be considered the favorite here.
Ben Eddy vs Shane Shapiro – 165lbs
Ben Eddy is one of the most difficult opponents to prepare for in the professional grappling world, thanks to his mastery of rubber guard and unique style. Shane Shapiro might be a little younger than him but Eddy is still more than capable of causing huge problems for anyone out there. This match really hinges on whether Shapiro gets sucked into defensive cycles once he encounters Eddy’s guard. If he can pass early then he might be able to win the match but otherwise Eddy should be maintain a steady stream of offense until he either finds the submission, or wins a decision.
Raquel Canuto vs Karol Rosa -145lbs
Karol Rosa has been a UFC veteran for several years now and she currently holds a 17-6 professional record, but most of those wins have come as a result of her striking. Although Raquel Canuto was also an MMA fighter at one point, she started out her combat sports career as an elite BJJ competitor first. Canuto has won several IBJJF No Gi World Championship gold medals over the years and although Rosa will no doubt be a game opponent, this should be a pretty straightforward win for her.
The full UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 event, including all of the matches in the above preview of the lineup, will be available to watch live on March 3rd, 2024, on UFC Fight Pass.
